Unable to find their first true road win, the Hoosiers picked up their fourth loss of the season against Rutgers after a tough offensive showing for Indiana. Even with a deeper 11-man rotation, Indiana did not find a player that had a hot hand for the evening. Players including Justin Smith, Rob Phinisee, Al Durham, and Joey Brunk played well; however, they were equally unreliable as the go-to offensive option.
Between missed fast breaks and an inability to get to the line, the Hoosiers only scored 50 total points, good for 0.735 points per possession.
Hoosiers fans could likely tell that Trayce Jackson-Davis had a tough time at Rutgers on Wednesday night. From a lineups standpoint, he only appeared in 1 of Indiana’s top 6 combinations, but he was involved in IU’s four worst. Specifically, IU’s defense slumped with him on the floor, giving up 35 points in the 19:19 that he played. Rutgers scored 59 in the whole game.
One lineup that Archie Miller never tried before the Rutgers game was a “small ball” lineup of Phinisee, Durham, Anderson, Hunter, and Smith. They only played 47 seconds, during which Smith hit a bucket and a free throw.
Indiana’s starting five did not begin either half particularly well. The Hoosiers were outscored 12-6 before the first media timeout and 5-0 before the first substitution in the second half. They will look to reverse this performance at Nebraska.
The Hoosiers used one fewer unique lineup (18) compared to their usage of 19 against Ohio State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Chris Collins continues to own the Indiana Hoosiers. https://twitter.com/IndianaMBB/status/1759341438083461311 Even without guard…
